The World War II Memorial is one of my favorites in Washington D.C. I am so struck by the amazing detail. I first saw it when I went to D.C. to learn about the many beautiful attractions usually included in educational student tours. I thought of my grandfather while I was there, wishing he could be with me. And I couldn’t wait to get home and share the pictures with him and then read all about the memorial and the significance behind each and every part.

We went at night, and it was breathtaking. But I would have liked to see it during the day as well, because I didn’t want to miss a thing.

As we left, a group of people stood by the water’s edge, and some girls danced into the water in pretty, red dresses. I thought it made an amazing picture, and I snapped it before I thought.

Behind me, a coworker grimaced. He couldn’t believe the disrespect of these girls, to prance around in the water of a memorial dedicated to men who’d given their lives in such a devastating war. I was taken back by his response; it hadn’t been mine. And I certainly understood what he meant. One of the beautiful things about the memorials in D.C. is that generally people do show great respect there. You won’t usually find chaos, laughter, or loud conversation. They’re each places of reflection in their own way, and visitors usually feel that and observe it.

But after thinking about it for a while, I still stand by my initial reaction that the scene was a beautiful one. I have to hope that on some level the girls realized they would never be free to dance there without the sacrifice of the people the memorial celebrates. Even if they don’t exactly realize it, isn’t it true? Isn’t it sort of beautiful that generations after that horrible era, young people are so free? It’s a beautiful thing to me.

What do you think?

The thing about spring break is that it doesn’t really happen in the spring. It happens when winter is barely-to-not-really over and those of us in the mid to northern states are suffering if not clinically from seasonal affective disorder than definitely from sheer exhaustion at being so cold all the time.

And that’s why spring break trips tend to be at the beach. We pack a couple of swimming suits, a towel, and our winter frustration and get as quickly as possible to Florida’s gulf, Mexico, or Miami, and all we want is sun, sand, and the knowledge that there’s no way we’re going to wake up to snow.

Recently I visited New York City in June. It was my first time, something I’d dreamed about for years, and the weather was so perfect I could have sworn the city was opening its arms to me, wooing me to dig in my heels and just stay there forever. That’s about the time I realized there are better places to visit than the beach when the weather is truly, beautifully spring.

Spring is the perfect time to visit almost anywhere. In Manhattan in the spring I was perfectly happy just walking from one attraction to the next. The subway was, I imagine, much more manageable than in the hot summer months, and we found shade everywhere – from the tall buildings to the trees in Central Park and even from the metal awnings created by scaffolding throughout the city as buildings received their six-year inspections.

And since I’ve mentioned Central Park…Seriously, I can’t think of any place I’d rather be in the spring than there. To disappear into the walkways and quiet paths of that beautiful urban playground while the city bustles around you – there’s nothing better. The park was designed, you know, to gradually descend to the center. Thus the magic of walking in complete serenity only yards from honking cabs, gabbing tourists, and thousands of people on cell phones.

Other things I couldn’t imagine improved upon by the weather we experience in spring included the observation decks, both on the Empire State Building and at Top of the Rock, the water cruise to the Statue of Liberty, and our evening on the terrace of a local pub. New York City was simply amazing in every way. I cringed every time I had to be beneath it in the subway system or if I was trapped too long in its interiors. I wanted to be outside, taking in as much of it as possible, all the time. And spring was the perfect time to do that. (Although don’t get me started on how amazing it would be in the fall).

So although I know you’re going to spin a map and point to the nearest stretch of ocean shore the next time you plan a spring break trip, when actual spring comes around, promise me you’ll consider instead the cities, the mountains, the historical landmarks, and the classic American cultures you’ve always wanted to explore. There’s no better time for discovery.

The blog will be quiet for a week as we take in the sights and sounds of Washington D.C. and New York City. We’ll come back with fresh blog ideas, travel tips for group travel tours, and much, much more. In the meantime, drop us a note about topics you’d like to see discussed on the blog in the future!

I’d love to be somewhere someday when a flash mob happened. It cheers me up just watching some of those on You Tube, so I’m pretty sure the real thing would thrill me right to my toes.

In a few weeks I’m hoping to discover firsthand what it’s like to travel in a mob. I thought the idea of a mob dance would inspire you while I offer some of my own ideas on how to make it work. And once I get back, I’ll try and let you know if I managed to follow my advice. We specialize in group travel tours around here, so I’m thinking my firsthand advice could be useful.

GO WITH THE FLOW

This is definitely my first order of business. I discovered it long ago but wasn’t really able to put it into practice without lots of trying. Being hungry, cold, too hot, tired, or tired of walking – any of these used to throw me into the depths of despair. I’d need relief immediately or prepare for the black cloud of my emotions to eat alive anyone within arm’s length. This kind of personality will not work in a large group. Period. If this is you, I’m not saying you have to change who you are. I AM saying you have to change who you are for this trip.

Learn to keep moving while you’re tired; maybe just talk a little less. Trust that food and drink are always just around the corner. Just because it takes longer in a large group to decide on specifics and therefore longer to get things accomplished, doesn’t mean you’ll never find nourishment again. Hang in there. Meal times will find you.

Be a Decision-Maker

Mostly, you probably just need to go with the flow, as above. But every now and then large groups find themselves without a prominent decision-maker. This Is Trouble. If your group tour is customized by a professional, a brilliant itinerary will hopefully make all the decisions for you. But every now and then, it rains. Things get cancelled. Buses are late. Etcetera. And when it’s pushing an hour or so past lunchtime, and what stands between you and food is just for one person to name the place already, then name it. Be willing to put yourself out there as the person who suggested that little hole-in-the-wall diner, because at least it was close by. Sometimes the holes in the wall turn out to be delightful finds.

Lower your expectations

Listen, we all have plans and dreams. We all picture how we want a thing to go, the attractions we most want to see and how long we want to take at each one. Let go of that. Consider Flash Mob Travel your chance to get an overview of places you’d like to explore on your own in the future. Don’t expect to stand several hours in front of one gorgeous painting at the Met. Don’t plan on half a day to meditate at the Lincoln Memorial or a quiet, leisurely stroll through Central Park. Get excited simply that you’re seeing these things at all. Go along for the ride, so to speak. When the group needs to move on, don’t fret.

One thing I plan to do is take a journal and a pen. I’m going to jot down my first impressions or the things I’d like to explore at another time. I won’t stress when I’m inspired but the group needs to move on, because at least I was there to capture a first impression. Without this opportunity, I wouldn’t have even had that.

Traveling in a group can be a challenge, and it requires compromise – like being in a family only magnified. Choose to go with the flow, make decisions when you need to, and be grateful for small opportunities, and group travel can be an experience almost as perfect as getting everything your own way.

Photo by leuan Jenkins on Flickr.

I bet you’ve heard a few speeches like this one recently (or that you soon will). I actually love this Dr. Seuss book, and I kind of judge you if you don’t love it. It’s such a delightful, poetic summary of life.

So today, in the spirit of that book and of all the inspirational graduation speeches you’ll hear around this time, I’m waxing philosophical.

One of my favorite graduation speeches ever went like this: Life is short, so enjoy every single moment. Drink it in. But at the same time, you’ve got more time than you think. So relax. Don’t rush the big decisions in life or think you should always be farther along than you are. It will happen. Just enjoy the ride.

Oh how I adore the balance of that message! BUT IT’S SO DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW! Have you noticed?

For instance, right now – if you’re one of the many college graduates in the world – you face an interesting realm of possibility. And that advice that I love so much can both inspire you and raise the question, So what then do I do next?

On the one hand, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of your recent degree and fresh ideas and enthusiasm, put your resume out there, nail some interviews, and find the perfect job to jump start a lifelong career.

But you know what happens after the job that starts a career? A thing they call Life. You begin to grow more and more settled with various work and family responsibilities. And you know what’s  harder to do when you’re in that stage? Pretty much everything.

It’s harder to go places, harder to take risks, harder to try something when you have absolutely no idea how it will turn out. In that sense, this is the perfect time for those things. It’s the perfect time to take risks, because theoretically you’ve got a lot less to risk and a lot more to gain. It’s a great time to travel, because you only have to worry about yourself. It’s the perfect time for Europe student tours, backpacking through France, Spain, and Germany. And it’s the perfect time to spend several months in a place you’ve always wanted to discover.

I guess the question is, what is the appropriate balance today? Is this your chance to visit some place you’ve always wanted to see? Or is it time to get established and trust that exciting things lie somewhere farther in the future.

It’s your choice, every day. Life is short…but you have more time than you think. How will you make the most of today?

Photo by Leonard John Matthew on Flickr.

Well, you can guess our opinion on this.

After graduation, unless you’re an older graduate already settled with a home and family, then this is your moment. It’s the perfect time to travel.

A trip you take after graduation won’t fit the technical definition for student tours, but as you know, traveling is always an education. You have hopefully caught the bug to become a student of life, and travel is a wonderful way to do it.

So consider this our congratulations for your amazing accomplishment. Then take a moment to browse our sites and discover the fascinating places and international tours we can arrange for you.

Don’t miss this chance to spread your wings and truly discover your place in the world.

Photo by MarinaAvila on Flickr.

It happened to me in college. It came out of nowhere, hit me with something more like a matter of fact than a life-changing epiphany, and has stuck with me ever since as an unfortunate but very possible truth. I may never see the Eiffel Tower in person.

It didn’t exactly break my heart, but it was sobering. I realized as a girl from a small town in Missouri without high pursuits in fashion or entertainment or investments, there probably wouldn’t be much in my life to require me to be in Paris. And I wasn’t exactly on track to make the kind of money that makes that sort of travel easy.

And I guess it was kind of like that old saying, if a tree falls in the woods will anyone hear it? Because I sort of wondered if I never saw the Eiffel Tower in person, was it real?

Of course it is. I know that. But you have to admit in this life filled with special effects and media bias and all the things that color what actually is, you can’t really be sure of something until you see it in person for yourself. Even though it would be ridiculous not to believe in the Eiffel Tower, I can’t really know if it’s beautiful or not. I can’t know how it feels to stand next to it, to experience the view from the top, to even be in the city over which it holds court, unless I go there for myself.

So, that was years ago. Have I been yet? To the Eiffel Tower? No. I’ve written about it while describing international student tours that literally make me swoon with hope and delight. And yet I haven’t been.

But it’s on the list. I keep a list – actually, I change it all the time. Its title? What I Want. And on it I put the places I want to see, the things I want to accomplish, and the things I want to do every day. For me, the problem in the past was  that the Eiffel Tower just wasn’t high enough on the list. And that’s okay. New York City is higher on the list for me than Paris, and this June? I’m going there. It’s part of a trip for work but will include all the sightseeing I could possibly want minus only the extended hours to explore and take in all I’ve seen. I can’t wait to go there armed with a camera and a journal as I capture all the things I have up to that point only heard about.

After that trip, I’ll come home to my husband and children. For me those things are at the top of the list all the time, especially the list that includes what I want to experience every day. The Eiffel Tower comes somewhere after that on a list of things I hope to do but which I will only pursue when the daily things and the family things are all beautifully in place.

Do you have a list? Have you decided what you want to see or do so much that if you only had one day to live, that’s what you would choose? Do you know the things that matter most to you? Do you have a jar where you save for the Eiffel Tower types – the things on your Someday-if-I’m-lucky list? Because I guarantee you, if you don’t – you’ll never see the Eiffel Tower either.

Photo by Marcio Cabral de Moura on Flickr.

I live within fifty miles of the town my dad grew up in, the one where my mom was raised, and the one where they raised me. I go to all three of them at various times. So I’ve lived and relived those drive-by moments in which the parents tell us where they were born, where Mom lived the night Dad picked her up for their first date, the house where they first lived together. And I’ve done it to my children too, pointing out the house where I was raised, the porch where I sat with their dad when we were little kids together and friends, that same porch where we were married one day.

It’s definitely anchoring to have so much personal history nearby. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to start fresh in a brand new state far away from all that family heritage and not have a single, “Oh that’s where such-and-such happened” to hear or to share with your kids. I think that would have its own thrills. But there’s something about knowing where you come from, seeing where it all began. It’s usually moving to say the least. There’s an entire reality television show built around the concept now.

That’s the reason Americans through time have planted sign posts and engraved bronzed plaques to hail the places of our beginnings as a nation. Look, they’re saying, here’s where it began. If Paul Revere hadn’t… If the founding fathers had given up … If the Liberty Bell never had a reason to ring…we wouldn’t be here today. We wouldn’t be the same.

It’s a relatively new country we have. Sometimes we fight among ourselves about where it should go from here and how exactly to get there. Always, we’re grateful the founding fathers knew those days would come and established a system that would hopefully help us navigate the disagreements and somehow continue united. The rustic homes and simple buildings and quiet battlefields where Americans have hung those plaques and pounded those sign posts – those are the places where we can remember the hard work behind our foundation, the determined effort, the powerful inspiration.

This is what student travel is all about. This is why Boston educational student tours begin with the Freedom Trail to the Old North Church, the site for the Boston massacre, and more. It’s why Philadelphia still hails the Liberty Bell (its actually ringing history the stuff of myth or no) and why we’ve memorialized Independence Hall and so many of the other prominent spots in American history. It anchors us and reminds us that all great things have a beginning.

**Photo of Old State House in Boston by wallyg on Flickr.

StudentTravel.net is devoted to the places you want to go for leisure, and specifically the places you want to choose for spring break. This usually means beaches as they offer the perfect climate, low-stress days, and exciting nights. But the beaches I’m talking about today are even more low-stress than those.

“A haven for recreation and reflection,” the National Park Services has said of these beaches known as “OBX”, or the Outer Banks of the North Carolina coastline.

These narrow barriers present great opportunity for some water sports like kayaking and wind surfing. But they are perhaps best known for leisurely strolls, exploration, and quiet escapes to serenity. They’re dotted with a lighthouse or two, some as authentic and original as any in the nation. They offer a couple amazing historical landmarks – the site for the first flight by the Wright brothers and the location for the first English Colony.

The Outer Banks are also filled with pleasant wildlife, from nesting sea turtles to the endangered piping plover (it’s a little bird that nests on sandy beaches – I know you were wondering). And they’re unpredictable. Thanks to their narrow topography and nearness to the ocean, these barriers are constantly changing from wind and storms, ocean currents, and the rise and fall of the sea. Spend a day on them, and you’ll surely notice even subtle differences yourself.

The ocean is generally conceded to evoke great thought, reflection, and a general awareness of our relative insignificance in a massive universe. The Outer Banks are no exception, and added to that sense of the ocean’s vast existence comes the uncertain reality of standing on a narrow, changing space almost at the whim of the ocean’s power.

Still, if you tire of reflection – if you actually walk on these sandy shores and brilliant dunes long enough that you’ve decompressed from all the stress of work and school and home and have no more thinking left to do – there’s always the surf. This beautiful National Seashore is equal parts reflection and adventure, and you’ll love both activities for Outer Banks student tours.

We’re working to bulk up the fabulous content on our home page for fun and exciting student travel, and I’ve been looking around for some of the most popular, most-searched-for destinations for spring break trips.

Cancun is one of our favorite destinations with its warm hospitality of Mexico and breathtaking Caribbean waters. The snorkeling and diving are almost unmatched in the beautiful coral reefs around Cancun. The beach is gorgeous, and the nightlife some of the most innovative in the world. You can read more about it from our homepage and see all there is to discover in this popular destination.

Europe offers some of the most popular experiences and once-in-a-lifetime destinations for students as well. We love London and Paris, and we especially love a combination of the two. With the efficient Eurostar, a train that carries passengers between the two wonderful cities, including through the English Channel tunnel (or “chunnel), a trip that includes both destinations is well within your reach. Start from Heathrow airport with a guided driving tour of some of London’s highlights (Windsor Palace and Big Ben for instance), spend a couple days exploring them up close and then ride the train to Paris for a cruise on the Seine or a view from the Eiffel Tower. Of course, we have lots of other European tours on our site as well – all of them to amazing destinations any student would enjoy.

Coming soon we plan to feature Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Panama City, Florida, as two highly popular spring break destinations. We’ll also fill you in on Cocoa Beach (near Orlando), the emerald coast (along the Gulf of Mexico and covered in brilliant white quartz sand), and Miami.

But where else? Let us know some of the destinations you’re curious about. What’s the first place you think of when you consider that all-important spring break escape. And what’s more important to you? The beaches? The nightlife? Or both?  Either way, we’ll have the info you need to choose plenty of exciting beach and European tours, from Cancun spring break trips to European travel – all perfect for spring break and beyond.